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Wolf2Bear -> RE: President Guilty of Identify Theft? (2/16/2010 7:03:48 PM)
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- Only native-born U.S. citizens (or those born abroad, but only to parents who were both citizens of the U.S.) may be president of the United States, though from time to time that requirement is called into question, most recently after Arnold Schwarzenegger, born in Austria, was elected governor of California, in 2003. The Constitution originally provided a small loophole to this provision: One needn't have been born in the United States but had to be a citizen at the time the Constitution was adopted. But, since that occurred in 1789, that ship has sailed.
- One must also be at least 35 years of age to be president. John F. Kennedy was the youngest person to be elected president; he was 43 years old when he was inaugurated in 1961. There is no maximum age limit set forth in the Constitution. Ronald Reagan was the oldest president; at the end of his term in 1988, he was nearly 77.
- Finally, one must live in the United States for at least 14 years to be president, in addition to being a natural-born citizen. The Constitution is vague on this point. For example, it does not make clear whether those 14 years need to be consecutive or what the precise definition of residency is. So far, however, this requirement has not been challenged. These are the only explicit criteria in the Constitution.
About.com: US Government info
thinkquest.com :
Presidential Requirements The Constitution requires that a candidate for the presidency must be a "natural-born" citizen of the United States, at least 35 years of age, and a resident of the United States for at least 14 years. Natural-Born An understanding of the nation is essential for the role of President. The framers of the Constitution strongly believed that a person must be born in the United States in order to fully understand the country.
35 Years of Age Personal experience was very important to the framers. They felt that unless a person had reached the age of thirty-five, it was highly unlikely for that person to have experienced enough to govern a nation.
14 Year Residency Part of being President involves dealing with both domestic and foreign problems. In order to face these problems, previous knowledge of the nation's history in these matters is necessary. The framers decided that fourteen years was an adequate time span to comprehend these issues.
The following answer some frequently asked questions about the requirements and special cases. Could a person born abroad to parents who are U.S. citizens eligible to be President? Yes. A child born of U.S. citizens anywhere in the world is considered a natural born U.S. citizen and is eligible.
What exactly does "natural-born" mean? Persons born citizens of the United States are considered natural-born. Therefore, a child born of illegal immigrants or born on U.S. soil yet lived his or her life out of the nation could still be President. A naturalized citizen could not.
Does a person need to be married to be President? Nope. There have been several Presidents who were not married at the time of their election or during their term of office.
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